Archive for March, 2012

When I was little, I used to go to a restaurant that had packets of sugar with quotes on them. For some reason, I always got the one that said…”He who whispers down a well about the goods he has to sell will never reap the golden dollars like the man who stands and hollers.” I didn’t know what the heck that meant until began my career in marketing/communications. Recruitment branding and marketing has become quite sophisticated and yet, all efforts are directed at an external audience (potential candidates). Whether you’re in human resource or recruiting, your internal communications strategy (directed to your internal customers and stakeholders) is every bit as important as your external marketing campaign. Whenever you launch your recruiting strategy, be sure that part of that strategy includes communicating to your internal audience. Create a template that you can use every time to provide updates on activities, results, interesting facts and information that you believe they need to do their jobs better. If you really want to get their attention, contact your internal customers regularly to get a quote and incorporate that into your communications.

I work with many directors of recruiting and heads of talent acquisition; however, I’ve never actually had a client with the title director of retention or anything remotely similar. I’m not talking about the person who manages employee relations. I’m not talking about the head of organizational development or the new hire orientation coordinator. I’m talking about someone hired by the company to be sure that employees don’t walk out the door. After years of conducting focus groups, exit interviews and other research to understand employee attitudes and preferences, I hear the same thing. Employees leave because of the little things. For example, I had one talented professional tell me that he rescheduled his family vacation to work on a project and his supervisor never took the time to thank him either verbally or by way of a small token of appreciation. So he left. A $100 gift certificate and a thank you would have saved thousands of dollars in recruiting costs and lost productivity. Companies have created loyalty programs for their customers and yet, I’ve never actually seen a loyalty program for employees. Last week at the Omni, I came into my room to find a bottle of wine, cheese and fruit along with a note telling me how much they appreciate my repeat business. Why would I change hotels if I’m going to be treated this way? I don’t expect wine and cheese every visit, but I do appreciate being told that I matter. Anyone looking to hire a Director of Employee Loyalty? I’m in!

Whether you like Lance Armstrong or not, you have to admit that he’s done a great job at branding himself. During the Tour de France, he does a wonderful job of talking directly to his fans via social media. Talking to the media is not the same thing as talking to your fans. If you cut out the middle man, you’ll achieve a much more authentic line of communication. That doesn’t mean that the media should be avoided — just that talking to the media isn’t the same thing as talking to your target audience. Give your fans (or target audience) a platform and place to talk to you and about you, be honest and don’t run from controversy.